Grandparents At the Wedding

By John Grey

GRANDPARENTS AT THE WEDDING


His hair is gray as tidelands,
combed where it can be,
while hers is pancake-shaped, 

rinsed blue and black –
the past always keeps the young
waiting, goes button to button. 

hem to hem, asks the mirror 
for a favor – none granted –
rubs the red out of eyes,

the grave from cheeks,
in case the photographer 
sets off an alarm – come

the hour, they’ll bury heads
in flowers, mutter “how beautiful” –
standard fare for weddings or funerals.

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John Grey is an Australian poet, US resident, recently published in Orbis, Dalhousie Review and the Round Table. His latest books, Leaves On Pages and Memory Outside The Head, are available through Amazon.

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